Hey, remember way back when, when I decided to do that 7 week challenge of bringing yoga off the mat and into your life? The Living Your Moksha Challenge? Well, I realized I still had two more weeks to tell you about! As you can see, Erin and I had lots and lots to write about. We’ve been busy! But now that I’m doing “less” yoga and other things and running more, I feel as though my stories are not as exciting as they once were. But that’s totally not true.

Let’s be honest, yoga is exciting. And so is learning!

And that’s exactly what pillar number 6 of LYM was: Live to Learn. Learning is a wonderful thing, you can never be too old or too young to learn. Anything. Coming from a family of teachers education was the one thing forced upon us, but also the one thing my family valued most. I remember at a very young age, my uncle coming to house to chat with my Dad — no, he wouldn’t offer treats or hugs — but would test my multiplication tables and ask what I was learning in school. And learning those valuable life sessions, I would bike to my Nanny’s house for, such as licking the bowl and spoons clean after making a batch of cookies. This and sewing buttons or just being at Nanny’s house were indeed essential life lessons for me to learn.

My grandmother was a very special lady, and even though she’s no longer around, I’m still learning from her everyday. After her passing in July, the week Live to Learn really struck a cord with me. She was a lady who value knowledge and the power to think for yourself more then anyone I know. She’d test your opinion, not for argument, but for the importance of forming one. My Nanny is someone I admire so much and find myself wanting to be like, more and more each day. And one of those ways, specifically, is her love of learning. It’s amazing how much this Living Your Moksha challenge has stuck with me, even after a month since it’s been over.

Reflecting back on the week itself, our challenge was to read for 30 minutes each day (2 hours on the weekends) outside of your work or everyday reading. Pick up a book, grab the newspaper, google a blog worth checking out, and really dive in and digest it’s contents. What is the author or character really saying? That part was easy, I had my book (The Night Circus) on the go and would read voluntary for hours before falling asleep. But reading wasn’t always an enjoying pastime of mine, especially during high school and my university days. But we grow up and we change, and now I’m learning to be accepting of the grown up I’m becoming. I’m learning to be okay with not doing yoga everyday or being okay not following my running training to a T (okay I admit this still bothers me a bit). It’s weird to think we how different we were only a few short years ago. Or even weirder the thought of the even more grown up, grown up we’ll become.

I took the living to learn theme to the next level that week and enrolled in a Beginners Spanish class for the month of July through the Ontario Continuing Eduction Program. I came away still knowing zero Spanish, but this was one thing on my bucket list. It still is, I have much more to learn. But I don’t know what was harder leaning proper enunciation of verbs or CrossFit’s proper squat and rowing technique!

The super challenge of the week was to take a walk and get lost in nature. Look around your environment with no place to go in your mind. Sometimes getting lost is the best was to find yourself. Although I didn’t go for a walk everyday, I feel as though I’m going through the super challenge right now, figuring our my life ahead and new challenges to face. One being this half marathon! Let’s take my life lessons, one step at a time. Thinking back to week 6 is helping with all of that, I just have to be paitence and accepting of certain struggles. Something I’m still learning, as I said before.

Now, to really explore the meaning of live to learn – Dave Roemmele, Moksha’s Studio Development Director tells his meaning to live to learn:

Being accessible was a little harder then I had expected. What did this even mean anyway? And to further cramp my style, I felt off this whole week (May 8 to May 14). Not only was I still struggling with the whole cleansing business, I was still thrown off from my practice.

And that really bothered me. Not to mention I was already a week behind from headstand success; Graham kindly reminded me each time I’d see him how far along he’s getting. I’m screwed.

As you are all probably well aware, challenge or no challenge, yoga is my go to for everything and never once has it let me down. Mind you, I’ve had my fair share of difficult classes (which I’m sure Erin and JK will come to discover once or twice during their 30 day challenge), but for the most part it is my escape. Whether I’m bored, tired, energized, cramped, stiff, just want to see people I know, whatever the case maybe yoga is always there. So when it came time for me to be accessible I figured I’d be accessible to yoga and practice (almost) every day for this week (plus I didn’t practice all week during Be Healthy week and that was the recommended super challenge). I really need the head stand practice!

But one problem: I could not for the life of me shake this cleanse. So instead I decided to really dig deep into my accessibility. The main focus for the week was practicing active listening – then each night we were to reflect on our day by writing in a journal. I did not write in a journal, instead I wrote posts. Wow, I was really terrible this week. No way did I deserve any stickers on my LYM chart.

I tried active listening at work, while I was out doing whatever I was that week, and more importantly I stuck to the cleanse. I suppose I was being accessible to myself and did not give up. I really wanted to stick this thing through to the end. With only one small slip up (I had some wine with Erin before going to Bring It On the Musical), but in a weird way I think I needed it. The whole heavy metals news freaked me out a bit.

After day 8, the end was in sight and I could feel the finish drawing nearer. I wanted this to end! But now that I’ve stopped to rethink about the 10 days, I miss it. This surprised me too! Friday evening I went off the cleanse entirely. Shannon my old roommate was in town, I had to celebrate, but I was not happy with myself come Saturday. After eating too much not appropriate cleanse foods, I felt gross, angry, and was really upset with myself. I worked too hard to blow this whole thing off. So after that weekend I decided to not let people influence my choices for a better me. Whether it’s food, socializing, anything I’m going to stay true to what’s best for me. Yes I will cave, but when and where it’s approprate I will be okay with that (wine with Erin – totally okay!). I just went too far too quickly having Shannon around and I’m still not happy with myself for that, which then turned into a whole weekend of guilt feeling icky-ness.

Listening to me, my body, being okay with not practicing yoga everyday, and taking the cleanse beyond the 10 days is how I was accessible. After feeling really crumbly for my choices on Friday, this article from LYM helped – How To Stop Beating Yourself Up Over Mistakes. I am terrible for this!

Thank goodness for last Friday! It was a day I’ve been waiting for, for what felt like forever.

If you’ve been flowing the blog you’ll know why I was over excited for this day to come. It was my day of freedom! Freedom of this wretched cleanse I’ve been putting myself through over the past 10 days. But now it’s “officially” over. I use “officially” loosely — we are supposed to continue this forced eating habit for another 2 weeks — I feel as though I should even though I was held under great duress. But a bigger part of me says I deserve my cake and should eat it to. I did follow a strict eating guide, drank more than enough tea to last my entire lifetime and took morning shots of the awful tasting E-3 Live. That I will not miss. But apparently it’s supposed to be one of the best things you could possibly take for your body. There are way too many things out there making that claim.

It’s rather hard to keep track, let alone know, what you should and should not be consuming these days. I don’t take anything in the way of supplements other than fibre, B12 and iron. And that’s because I have to (or it’s highly recommended that I should), because being a vegetarian and all we’re prone to low iron and B12. Anything else is far too much for me to comprehend. Although I would if there weren’t so many options and information to digest. I need something simple, like take this and you will live forever!

I felt as though my routine worked, at at least that’s what I thought anyway.

Way back when, when I decide to take on the LYM challenge, knowing full well week 1 was “Be Healthy” I figured this spring cleanse was the perfect way for me to be healthy. After all I was in search of some major change to happen. This cleanse wasn’t exactly what I was searching for. Come to think of it, this kicked me in the ass! Never once did I have the euphoric moment of energy and wellness coming together in harmony, clearing my sight and vitalizing my tast buds. This never happened to me. Instead I was dead tired, I could hardly practice yoga (nor was I capable of any physical activity), and my thighs have never felt so heavy in my whole life. What the hell, what gives!?

Day 1 was easy eating all the fruit I wanted, at the end of day 2 if I ate another raw veggie I was going to hurl, then day 3 hit. That’s when it hit me the hardest. My legs and whole body felt 200 pounds heavier, plus I was exhausted. I think the coffee withdraw was catching up. But slowly as the days came closer and closer to day 10 I was beginning to feel a bit lighter. When I saw Allison on day 7 I had to ask what was wrong with me? Apparently this cleanse was just the thing I needed to open my eyes to what I’ve putting into my body – I could have heavy metals in there! This cleanse may have been the start to a whole new me. That’s TBD.

I suppose this wasn’t the worst experience of life, however, I can’t quite understand it. I’m active and do more yoga than any normal person should, so the outside of me is fine. But I have no idea what’s going on inside. That’s what this experience has taught me, that I need to pay attention to be healthier on the inside. Therefore, I’ve decided (here’s the major change!) I’m going to stick to eating the one ingredient food philosophy, drink the big glass of lemon water to kick start my day each day, keep adding fibre to my drinks/food before bed, and eating flax seeds! Lets face it, I’m going to enjoy my alcohol, coffee and bananas! I’m not going completely nuts. If I mindfully cut out bad things (such as things with ingredients I can’t pronounce), I will reward myself with this finer things. It’s all about moderations. I have to allow for indulgence once in awhile.

So that’s how I was healthy for week 1 – I cleansed and discovered a bigger meaning to Be Healthy.